In the end it was perhaps all for the best, as England lost a low-scoring and ultimately gripping fifth one-day international by five runs at the Adelaide Oval, thereby passing up on the chance of a little dead-rubber gloss at the end of a series that was lost a week ago in Sydney. Never mind finding a way to win games, here England found a way to lose one, throwing away a winning position having restricted Australia to 217 on a low, slow pitch before moving to 154 for three in their reply with 13 overs left.

Sparked by some unwise shots in the powerplay, wickets fell in clusters as Australia's seam attack bowled with control and penetration and Ravi Bopara produced a bizarrely static innings, never at any stage taking on the bowling with any intent as the game slipped away. Albeit Bopara was a little unfortunate to be given out stumped, with eight runs required, by the TV umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, who ruled on little obvious evidence that Bopara's foot was raised as the ball bounced back on to the bails from Matthew Wade's chest.

The final over arrived with England needing eight runs and the last pair, Chris Jordan and James Tredwell, at the crease. They mustered two scampered singles before Tredwell edged Shane Watson's fourth ball to Wade and that was that. A Test and one-day tour notable for so many traumatically one-sided defeats ended with a traumatically last-ditch defeat as Australia's players took off on a jubilant charge across the square having taken the series 4-1.

Australia had earlier won the toss and made 217 batting first on a hot, sunny Adelaide day that saw Michael Clarke and Watson return while England recalled Joe Root in favour of Gary Ballance.

There has been the odd sigh of regret at the redevelopment of the old ground, but this new Oval is a beautiful structure too with its wide stands and faux-country-fete undulating white roof, albeit this Adelaide Oval pitch had a little less youthful zing about it.

At the halfway stage Australia's total had looked tricky but still eminently gettable as Ian Bell skewed England's first boundary over point in the third over and then sent Nathan Coulter-Nile over midwicket with a disdainful cuff before driving him in a maddeningly gentle arc to mid-off. Without ever looking out of form Bell has had a quietly dismal tour.

Ben Stokes went for a duck as Australia's seamers hit a testing, nibbling length. Root came in at No4 and looked more positive in his footwork from the start, manoeuvring Glenn Maxwell's off-breaks around and reverse-lapping impishly for four as England's 50 came up at the start of the 14th over.

Alastair Cook had batted without any particular sense of urgency for his 39 off 62 balls before spooning Coulter-Nile to short cover to leave England 90-3 and the match still finely balanced as the lights began to kick in. Eoin Morgan lofted Watson for a deliciously easy straight six before Root went to his 50 off 79 balls with a lovely clean smite over long-on off Maxwell and England looked to be taking this home.

At which point the powerplay struck again, as it always must. First Morgan holed out to mid-off for 39 and Root followed shortly after, paddling James Faulkner to short fine leg after a neat, recuperative but still insufficient innings of 55. The run rate had now climbed to six an over from the last 10 with Bopara prodding his way to two from 20 balls. When Jos Buttler went for five to leave England 174-5, Australia were favourites for the first time in the match to win.

England's hopes hung on Bopara, not always the sturdiest place for them. Tim Bresnan launched Coulter-Nile delightfully over midwicket for six to bring the runs required below 30 with every dot ball drawing gasps and cheers. Bresnan was run out by a fine direct hit by the livewire Maxwell: enter Stuart Broad to slightly sozzled boos from a half-full stadium. When he was bowled playing a wide-open waft England needed 14 off 18 and it was time for the becalmed Bopara to make his move. There was some misfortune in his dismissal, but the ball from Clint McKay that got him was a beauty. And that, effectively, was that for a match that saw England stay true to themselves on this tour by crumpling at the crucial moment.

Earlier Australia had begun with a stutter as Broad produced a superb opening spell of two for eight from four overs, nipping the ball off the seam at a teasing length and splattering Aaron Finch's stumps with a ball that nipped back past an unworthy forward prod. George Bailey and Maxwell rebuilt, bringing up the hundred in the 28th over before Maxwell was out driving at Stokes, caught by a tumbling Buttler, who held every chance offered in this series and let just two byes through in five matches. Bailey got to 50 off 60 balls before he departed, trying to hit Stokes down the ground. Jordan was trusted with the death overs and went for just three runs in the 50th, also dismissing Faulkner and Coulter-Nile in successive balls.